Marc Bonilla

Marc Bonilla - EE Ticket - 1991 - Reprise

An instructor at the Guitar Institute of Technology and composer for film and television, Marc Bonilla appears to owe his opportunity to make EE Ticket, his debut album, to his stint in the touring version of Patrick Leonard and Kevin Gilbert's band Toy Matinee; Gilbert engineered and produced the album, which is being released by Reprise Records, Toy Matinee's label. But if Reprise intended to introduce a new guitar hero to compete with the likes of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, Bonilla doesn't sound like those players. Maybe it's his academic background, but he is much more of a classicist than an innovator, on the evidence of EE Ticket. This album may be a 1991 release, but it sounds like the '80s never happened. Rather, Bonilla stands squarely in the post-Jimi Hendrix '70s tradition of Robin Trower, Ritchie Blackmore, and, especially, Jeff Beck. He can be fleet of finger (for example on "Hit and Run"), but he never goes for the kind of showoff speed that Eddie Van Halen delights in. Rather, he is ever mindful of melody and logical progression, steeped in the 1960s (there are stray references to the Rolling Stones and the Beatles), and always tasteful. His technique is assured, but it is never displayed for its own sake. In this sense, EE Ticket is reminiscent of such '70s Beck albums as Blow by Blow and Wired. Many fans of instrumental guitar rock will applaud that, but for those who have become infatuated with the sonic explorations of Satriani and Vai, this will sound old-school. Marc Bonilla comes to play, not to shred. © William Ruhlmann © 2012 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/ee-ticket-mw0000277819

A great high energy rockin' progressive instrumental album in the '70's style from L.A. rock guitar great Marc Bonilla. You've got metal, funk, blues and fusion with some great chops and feeling from Marc. The tracks "Entrance" and "Exit" clocking in at 0:46 and 0:53 respectively are unnecessary snippets of audio rubbish and add nothing to the album, despite their explanation on the album's sleeve notes. Players include Ronnie Montrose, Keith Emerson, and the late Kevin Gilbert. The album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to Marc's "American Matador" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 88.6 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Entrance
2. White Noise
3. Mannequin Highway
4. Commotion
5. Lycanthrope
6. Hit and Run
7. Afterburner
8. Hurling Blues Skyward
9. Antonio's Love Jungle
10. Razorback
11. Slaughter On Memory Lane
12. Exit

All tracks composed by Marc Bonilla except "Commotion" by John Fogerty, and "Razorback" by Marc Bonilla & Don Frank

MUSICIANS

Marc Bonilla – Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer, Synthesizer
Ronnie Montrose – Guitar, Slide Guitar
Dave Moreno – Bass
Kevin Gilbert RIP – Keyboard, Mellotron, Organ, (Vocals on "Antonio's Love Jungle")
Keith Emerson – Piano
Don Frank – Drums, Percussion
Troy Luccketta – Drums

SHORT BIO

Marc Bonilla is a guitarist and composer. He has worked with Keith Emerson (including on 1995's Changing States and in Emerson's 2006 touring band), Ronnie Montrose, Glenn Hughes (on The Way It Is, 1999, also playing keyboards), David Coverdale (late 2000 live band) and Kevin Gilbert (Toy Matinee live band). He also appears on the Emerson, Lake & Palmer tribute album Encores, Legends & Paradox (Magna Carta Records, 1999) and a spoken word album with comedian Bobby Gaylor for Atlantic entitled "Fuzzatonic Scream" including the controversial single, "Suicide" in 1998. He has released a number of solo albums. Among them, EE Ticket (Reprise, 1991), and American Matador (Warner Brothers, 1993), which includes covers of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and "I Am The Walrus" with guest Ronnie Montrose. Bonilla currently plays in California Transit Authority, a project led by former Chicago drummer and founding member Danny Seraphine, featuring some updates to early Chicago songs as well as new material and is currently working on the follow-up album of all original material. He has also produced, co-written and performed with the Keith Emerson Band's new album. In addition, he tours with Eddie Jobson's UZ Project as singer and bassist. Marc is originally from the San Francisco Bay area and, along with Joe Satriani, was one of the preeminent rock guitar teachers in the Bay area during the 80s. Marc moved to LA in the early 90's to work on TV and movie scoring working with James Newton Howard, John Debney, and others, earning an Emmy nomination in 2001. In addition, he had cameo roles in the 1997 television series Nightman about a crime-fighting sax player, for which he was the musical director and acted as a performer (with his band) in several episodes under the alias Marc Bonilla and Dragonchoir. He recently completed guitars for Iron Man 2 and Green Lantern and is working with Steve Porcaro (of Toto) on the hit series, Justified, on FX channel as a composer and guitarist. He also lectured at LA's Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT). He currently resides in west Los Angeles. He now lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife and son and is currently involved with composing new material for the Munich Radio Orchestra along with Keith Emerson and conductor, Terje Mikkelsen. Although Marc appears in the video for Toy Matinee's "Ballad of Jenny Ledge," he did not actually play lead guitar on the album. Lead guitar work for the Toy Matinee LP was done by LA studio guitarist Tim Pierce, though Marc replaced him for the touring incarnation of the band along with Sheryl Crow. Around the time that EE Ticket was released, Yamaha musical instruments produced a prototype left-handed Marc Bonilla model guitar. This guitar was embellished with comic book superheroes, of which Marc was very fond. (www.marcbonilla.com) - from Wikipedia